1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and printing method that print a plurality of images on a continuous sheet and cut the sheet on a page basis.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been provided a printing apparatus that sequentially prints a plurality of images on a continuous sheet, and cuts the sheet on an image (page) basis. In such a printing apparatus, a conveyance state of the continuous sheet is influenced by an individual difference of the printing apparatus, the type or width of the sheet, use environment, or the like, and therefore a conveyance distance of the continuous sheet per unit time includes a certain amount of error. For this reason, in order to prevent the continuous sheet from being cut in the middle of an image, a method that, between images, provides a non-image area formed with a cut mark indicating a cutting position, and on the basis of the timing when a detector detects the cut mark, cuts the continuous sheet with a cutter is used.
However, in the case where in order to detect such a cut mark, the detector performs a reading operation throughout the continuous sheet, a pattern in an image, which is similar to the cut mark, may also be determined as the cut mark to cut the continuous sheet in the middle of the image.
To address such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-158122 discloses a method that performs a reading operation by a detector only on a non-image area printed with a cut mark. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-158122 discloses a configuration where by focusing on the fact that an error in conveyance amount of a continuous sheet is increased along with an increase in conveyance distance of the continuous sheet, i.e., an increase in size of a precedently printed image, a size of a non-image area between two successive images is adjusted depending on a size of a precedent image. According to such Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-158122, in a non-image area having length enough to include a conveyance error of the continuous sheet, a cut mark can be detected, and therefore even in the case where a conveyance error occurs, the continuous sheet can be cut in a correct position.
However, with the configuration of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-158122, as a size of an image is increased, a non-image area finally cut off also increases to increase a sheet consumption amount, and therefore to suppress this, further improvement is required.